'Controversial' student leader speaks at WSSU
NABSG president encourages students to be proud of blackness "
r BY T. KEVIN WALKER
[THE CHRONICLE
You didn't have to sit in on
Lewis Thomas Ill's brief lecture
_ last week at Winston-Salem
State University to get a sense of
his views and ideas.
The list of books he gave to
the audience at the end of his
address pretty much summed up
his philosophy for life.
The list included: "The Mise
ducation of the Negro," "They
Came Before Columbus," "Invis
ible Man" and "The African
Holocaust" - books he says no
true Afrocentric thinker would
be without.
Thomas, the president of the
National Association of Black
Student Governments, brought
{ his provocative message of self
; respect, unity and self-empower
ment to WSSU as part of a
nationwide speaking tour, a tour
| he hopes will enlighten young
; tninds and help him form
- alliances with some student gov
ernments that have taken issue
with his style and manner of
leadership.
Thomas' half-hour speech
integrated aspects of history in a
rapid-fire, sermon-like address.
He talked extensively about the
so-called "contradiction of
philosophies," a state that he
says many blacks find them
selves in as they try to find a
common ground between their
African past and the everyday
- realities of African American
- life.
The philosophies are con
1 stantiy dueling. Thomas said.
"We must be aware of who
1 we are and where we are today,"
*' Thomas told a crowd made up of
? about 60 students.
While discussing the "confu
sion" that he sees among many
'? \oung black males, Thomas
" turned his attention to the world
of rap. and its glorification of
- the hatred of women and vio
j lence. While many see rap as
seemingly just lyrics over a thriv
ing beat, Thomas said the mes- <
sages in the music should be <
taken very seriously.
"Brothers find it easy to rap !
about murder and we find it easy |
to dance as i
rappers rap
about mur
d e r ,. "
Thomas
said, laugh
ing at the
scenario.
"No matter
how much
we believe
the lyrics
uro II n i m _
Thomas
ui v uiiiiii
portant, they represent the state
of blacks at this time."
In some cases, the rap move
ment has led some down a path
of ignorance rather than toward
knowledge and enlightenment,
he said.
Thomas said some African
American women have let the
music brainwash them into
thinking that a well developed
body is a better investment than
a well developed mind, and some
black men have snatched the
"gangsta" persona from the art
form and made it a way of life.
"They don't know what a
gangster or a thug really is," he
said. "If they were real gangstas,
they would own property. If they
were real gangstas, they wouldn't
let people come into their com
munities and kill."
NABSG includes nearly
every historically black college
and university in the nation.
Thomas was elected president in
September at the group's annual
meeting in Atlanta.
Thomas talked openly about
his past during his lecture. He
grew up in Washington, D.C.,
where his parents often had to
rely of public assistance as they
struggled to make ends meet.
The Thomas family eventual
ly overcame, with both his moth
tr and father earning college
degrees, and moved to a
Philadelphia suburb. Thomas
said oftentimes when black peo
ple obtain a higher social rank,
they forget the humble begin
nings from whence they came.
"We tend to forget about the
free cheese, the free peanut but
ter and all those beautiful
things," Thomas said. *
Thomas earned a bachelor's
degree from Temple University
at age 18; he is currently working
on his second bachelor's degree
in history and secondary educa
tion at Lincoln University.
Thomas stressed the imDor
tance of education and urged his \a
fellow students to actively teach
the youngsters that will come
behind them.
"When we say we are
African, it has to do with our
state of mind. You must live
your life by example. We need
for you to realize your maximum
potential, academically, spiritu
ally and otherwise," Thomas
said.
Though Thomas has raised
more than $200,000 for NABSG
and was instrumental in plan
ning the International African
Youth Leadership Summit,
which will be held in Washing
ton March 16-19 and feature the
likes of Minister Louis Far- [j
rakhan and entertainer Lauryn
Hill, he }ias come under fire
from some SGA presidents who
think he is too radical.
He has also been roundly
criticized for his connection to
Farrakhan; Thomas' relatiori
ship with the controversial
Nation of Islam leader stretches
back for years. He is Farrakhan's
godson and Thomas' father was
once a top official with the
Nation of Islam. Thomas said
Farrakhan contributed $5,000
toward his speaking tour.
"He has contributed to my'
development. I have a personal
relationship with him. I will t
retain a personal relationship
with him," Thomas said bluntly, t
"I will not allow anyone to push c
us around. I will not allow any- s
one to push our vision around." s
Mataryun Wright, WSSU's f
student body president, did not
attend either of the two lectures 1
Thomas presented at the school. >
During his lecture, Thomas said (
that two SGA presidents in i
North Carolina are not support- c
ive of him; he hoped that hi$ trip 1
to the state would help alleviate
some of the tension. s
When asked whether Wright i
vas supportive of him, Thomas
leferred the question to Wright.
Several calls to Wright were
lot returned by press time.
Thomas said he will continue
o work on behalf of HBCUs
iverywhere. He described him
elf as a "warrior" for the cause
ind urged others to fight for the
ireservation of HBCUs.
Thomas envisions a day when
^ABSG will be so strong that it
will be able mount instant
jrotests and demonstrations
vhenever a court or politician
rhallenges the integrity of
1CBUs.
"What we seek is power," he
laid. "The movement is still
noving."
^?I
Parks
' from pane A2
'? IRS documents to investigators
? in Lansing. Gorton told the
newspaper.
The license is good until July
2000.
The institute's IRS disclosure
" forms, which are required to be
filed by April 15, were not signed
until Dec. 1, three days after the
t- fund-raiser.
' The organizers of the fund
raiser said they don't know if the
event will raise enough money to
get the charity out of trouble. A
similar fund-raiser nine years
ago in Washington, D.C., lost
" $70,000.
Institute supporters acknowl
edge that the organization has
r had problems, but they vow that
*? they will take a more active role
in watching over the charity's
'' finances.
The Chronicle's
e-mail address
is:
wschron@netun
limited.net
euiuH mill
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